Between the lines: Fukiyose's Account

"Sima-nai, Kami-yan! I failed you. I didn't know that they would get Magicians involved in this."

Kamijou-kun shook his head in protest. "You did nothing wrong! You did everything you had to do, and you saved a great number of lives! This is all my fault. I shouldn't have put any of you through this ordeal. Rest now and save your strength."

He was kneeling and holding onto Tsuchimikado-kun's hand. The blonde idiot laughed despite his condition. "Don't worry about it. I've been through a lot worse than this. After everything that you've done for me, this is a trifle."

Even as he said this, the blonde idiot coughed up more pinkish phlegm. He was badly injured, and his face was caked in dried blood. His trademark sunglasses were broken, and he was so weak that he could hardly sit up on his own.

We found Tsuchimikado-kun in a classroom on the tenth floor of Yotsuba School for Performing Arts. Thanks to the attack by the Ace of Tokiwadai, we were able to enter in though the eleventh-floor balcony without being molested.

Flying overhead, I could see hundreds of people and powered suits pouring out of the building. My face was glued to the windows as I watched the three girls, Railgun and two others, tear through the oncoming horde. Then, the eleventh-floor balcony came into view and obscured whatever was happening down below.

As the helicopter hovered over the balcony railing, we all clambered out, one-by-one. Yomikawa-sensei guided the Dean, Kaizumi-san to the emergency exit, and he unlocked it with his keys. Meanwhile, the other helicopter arrived and deposited more Anti-skill officers onto the tiny balcony. Once the door opened, Anti-skill filed in and spread out to secure our point of entry. Many stayed on the eleventh floor to sweep the rooms for any potential enemies, while others went to do the same in the upper levels. The rest of us hurried down to the tenth floor in search for Tsuchimikado-kun.

That's when we encountered our first sign of trouble. A sizeable mass of people was pressed against a certain classroom and was clawing at the sliding door. Then, one person in the crowd saw us and let out a shrill scream. That triggered a small avalanche as gangs of people broke off and charged towards us. Yomikawa-sensei barked out an order, and instantly, Anti-skill formed a shield wall to stem the tide.

It was the most chaotic scene I had ever experienced. The angry mob broke upon our shields. Wave upon wave of screaming students and staff members added to the horde and pushed harder and harder on the plexiglass barriers, but the officers stood firm, bolstered by a second line of men and women. Slowly but surely, Anti-skill pushed its way in, and soon, they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder across the whole breadth of the hallway.

Suddenly, there was a surge, as the remaining horde joined in. One man was pushed up above the others, and he fell in the space behind the lines. I stiffened as he pushed himself up and fixed me with a manic stare. Those rabid eyes would come to haunt me in my sleep. He launched himself right at me, but Kamijou-kun got to him first. He punched the rabid man squarely in the jaw and sent him flying into the wall. The crazed man crashed into the wall and fell in a heap on the ground.

Then, another crazed individual leapt over the shield wall and landed in the open space. This time it was that strange, tall, red-headed Esper who pushed him away. Stiyl Magnus, who towered over most of us, pressed the man firmly against the wall. He lifted a hand, conjured a ball of fire, and threatened to incinerate the individual.

Fortunately, the nun stopped his attack before it could connect. She walked closer to the man and examined him carefully. "Hmm, Naru-hutu!" she muttered to herself, "The spell appears to be based on Haitian Vodou! Half of their souls, their Zombie astral, must be tied to some artifact in the Bokor's control. If only I could find that artifact…"

Without warning, she broke away from the screaming man, turned around, and raced off to the upper floors.

"Wait! Index!" Kamijou-kun called, but the nun paid him no mind. He tugged at our handcuffs and tried to catch up, but Stiyl Magnus clicked his tongue, tossed the crazed man at us, and chased after Index. Kamijou-kun punched out the crazed man, but both the nun and the fire esper—or whatever he was—were gone before we could push past the Anti-skill officers.

Meanwhile, Yomikawa-sensei blew on a whistle and Anti-skill shifted its formation, creating an oblique line across the width of the hallway. They pushed forward relentlessly, like a plough pushing against the ground, and slowly but surely, the horde was pried away from the classroom door.

One officer tried to open the door but was blasted away when his hand touched the handle. Two more officers did the same and suffered the same fate, flying into the opposite wall.

Yomikawa-sensei growled. "Kuso! Looks like they put on some kind of barrier on the door itself. If only there was some way to break it!"

Kamijou-kun grunted. "Let me try!"

Before I could utter a word of protest, he reached for the door with his right hand. I gritted my teeth and braced myself for the inevitable response, but we weren't thrown back like the others. Instead, I heard a strange sound, almost like glass shattering, and the door slid open easily.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer! Don't make me destroy you."

Standing in front of us was a young girl not much older than fourteen. Her auburn hair was cut into a chin-length bob, and she wore an orange sleeveless hoodie. Most of Anti-skill took a-back at the sight of her, but Kamijou-kun approached her calmly and carefully. "You must be Kinuhata-san," He said, "Please let us pass, we're only here to save Tsuchimikado! We want to take him away from here and to a hospital for treatment."

Kinuhata-san narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but then there was a coughed and and a familiar person raised himself from where he lay. "Is that you, Kami-yan? Why aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

That's how we found Tsuchimikado-kun. He was lying in the middle of the classroom and was covered from head to toe with random jackets and coats. Despite the girl's warnings, Kamijou-kun ran to Tsuchimikado-kun's side, pulling me along as well. Seeing him in such a state, I couldn't help but recoil in shock. He was nothing more than skin and bones at this point. Gone was his usual swagger, and I hardly recognized him. Yet, the way he talked, the way he joked at his predicament reassured me. Beneath that broken exterior, he was still the blonde idiot I knew.

The moment he saw me, however, his mouth fell open, and he stared at me in shock. "Fukiyose? What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you! Ano-Baka!" I retorted, crouching down next to Kamijou-kun. "We haven't seen you all day yesterday, and you didn't reply when I texted you!"

"How could you, Kami-yan!" Tsuchimikado-kun glared at him, "Why did you rope her into all of this! Why did you get her involved?"

"Fukouda!" Kamijou-kun groaned, "As if I had a choice! She forced her way into our plans to rescue you and then threatened me if I said no! You should try saying no to her!"

I cringed sheepishly. "I was just so worried about you! Komoe-sensei too is besides herself!"

"I see," The blonde idiot sighed, "I'm gonna have to kow-tow before her and beg her for forgiveness."

He glanced down and suddenly burst out laughing hysterically. "My, my!" he said, "I had no idea you and Kami-yan were an item now!"

"WHAT!" Kamijou-kun and I screamed at the same time, and my cheeks grew hot like the sun.

He laughed hysterically. "Way to go, Kami-yan! First you snag Kanzaki-niichan and then that Railgun chick! And now you have Fukiyose in holy matrimony! I'm so jealous of you, man! You gotta tell me your secrets! How do I get to catch this Kami-yan disease?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Kamijou-kun exclaimed, "We're not getting married!"

"No? But you're all hitched together already!" Saying this, he touched the handcuffs linking me with Kamijou-kun and laughed again, "I wish that you had told me sooner! I would've been your best man!"

"No! Tsuchimikado!" Touma protested, "You've got this all wrong! Fukiyose forced me into complying with her demands! I had no say in any of this!"

"So, it's a forced marriage then?" Tsuchimikado wagged his eyebrows and then jeered at me suggestively, "I'm so proud of you, Fukiyose-sama! I didn't know you had it in you!"

I growled, "For the last time! We! Are! Not! Married!"

I slammed my forehead against his, and just like that, Tsuchimikado-kun's head lulled back on his shoulders, and he went out like a light.

Oops.

"Fukiyose! What have you done!" Kamijou-kun exclaimed.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I stammered out, "I-I didn't mean to! He was saying all those crazy things!"

Carefully, we laid him back down so that his head was supported. Then, Kamijou-kun checked on his vitals and pressed an ear against the blonde idiot's chest. He sighed in relief. "It's okay. Tsuchimikado is fine. He's only sleeping. Staying up all night and using all that magic must have taken a toll on him."

Two Anti-skill officers brought forth a stretcher. Together, we transferred the blonde idiot onto the stretcher and then carried him out of the classroom. A helicopter was waiting for us as we brought Tsuchimikado out onto the eleventh-floor balcony. I helped the officers slide him into the cabin and then climbed in myself. Sitting on the edge, I called out to Kamijou-kun.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" I screamed, desperately trying to be heard over the rotor noises. He shook his head firmly and yelled back. "Go on without me! There's something else I have to do first!"

Without warning, he rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a little key. Seconds later, he was free from the handcuffs

"Seriously?" I screamed, "You had that with you this whole time?"

He smiled and pulled out a little pouch full of knick-knacks. "You never know when this stuff comes in handy!"

He backed away from the helicopter and let Yomikawa-sensei and Kaizumi-san climb on board. Despite the helicopter downwash, I leaned out to grab him, but he evaded my grasp easily.

"Wait! What about you're promise!?" I screamed, "We were supposed to stay together until the end!"

"Come back if you want to help out some more," He yelled back, "But I need you to do something for me first! Find out where they are taking Tsuchimikado. Call us once you get to the hospital! Then, bring his loved ones to him as soon as possible! Maika and Aogami are all waiting for him! This is something only you can do!"

Soon, the helicopter doors closed, and we pulled away, leaving him and Kinuhata-san behind.

The last thing I saw was of him turning to talk to Kinuhata-san. Whatever he was saying, she nodded in response, and they ran together back into the building.

Chapter 23: Battle in the Theater

"This is Image Breaker! This is Image Breaker!" Oni-chan's voice crackled through my earpiece, "Tsuchimikado has been recovered and is being airlifted to a nearby hospital. Anti-skill has all evacuated and Fukiyose has gone with them to contact his next of kin."

"That's very good to hear, "Uiharu-san responded, "I'll go tell Komoe-sensei. I'm sure she will be thrilled to hear the good news."

"Why haven't you gone with them?" Misaka-San piped up, "Why did you stay behind?"

"There's something I still have to do," he said, "I have to finish what Tsuchimikado started. I have to recover the intelligence from the GROUP databases."

"Are you sure you aren't being too reckless? Aren't you, like, surrounded by enemies right now?"

"I'll be fine," he said, "I have Kinuhata-San helping me out. Index and Stiyl Magnus are here too."

"All right," Misaka-San sighed, "I'm trusting you on this, so don't do anything stupid. Also, would you please tell Kinuhata-San that Hamazura-San and Takitsubo-san are here and safe with us?"

Oni-chan grunted. "I will! Kamijou out!"

The radio cut off. I turned to Shirai-San and asked, "What's Image Breaker?"

She shrugged. "It's his call sign. He uses it sometimes when he talks over the radio. We all have one."

We were now in the open lobby on the third floor of the Performing Arts School, giving aid to the umpteenth victim of this whole debacle. There was so many injured people around me that I stopped caring whether I was treating friend or foe.

All the while, a battle was raging around me,

A detachment of Anti-skill had taken the theater by storm and was now fighting against the Aztecs. I could hear gunfire echoing from inside the theater as the great big entrances had been blown wide open. Meanwhile, another cohort was assaulting the upper floors. I could see them engaging both the brainwashed students and staff members, as well as the Aztec grunts. I could hear them all around me, exchanging gunfire with the enemy. It was like firecrackers going off everywhere.

High up above me on the seventh floor, Kanzaki Kaori stood on the glass walkway, fighting with one of the painted warriors. One section of the bridge had shattered, and its broken glass now lay all around us. Kanzaki-san's Nanasen was locked with the enemy's obsidian club, and the pressure seem to crack the already damaged walkway.

All the while, paramedics kept rushing up and down to the lower levels, carrying victims and empty gurneys to and from the underground parking lot.

All this chaos and all this cacophony was making my head throb, and I struggled to keep my sanity. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, but when I opened them up again, the world had changed. All the light seemed to have vanished, and the theater lobby was now a sea of blue. Looking up, I saw more of the angry red blob, and a single white flame dancing in front of them. Squinting my eyes, I saw that it was Kaori-San standing there like a candle dancing in middle of the night. When Shirai-San called to me, I saw that she too was white with gold trimmings. "Otohime-Chan? Are you okay?"

I winced, and the world returned to its normal color. Yet the afterimage of those strange colors persisted. I shook my head vigorously. "I think I'm starting to see things."

A pair of paramedics came by and took away our bandaged ward. Shirai-San sighed and wiped her brow.

"You must be tired," she said, "I shouldn't have kept you working like this. You've done more than enough, helping me with all these unfortunate people. I'll ask one of these officers to take you home."

"No!" I protested, "I still want to be here. I've seen how Oni-chan carry so much on his shoulders, and I want to help as much as I can."

Shirai-San smiled. "You've got heart kid," she said, "Still, you've been working for a while now, and you deserve a rest. Go and take a break. Just keep your radio on, and don't stray too far from the safe zone. Okay?"

"Hai!"

Standing up, I stretched and walked around the safe zone. Dozens of security robots now surrounded us, protecting all the non-combatants from errant attacks. Awaki's description of the theater lobby wasn't as on point as I thought. Indeed, there was a staircase that housed in glass and was sandwiched between two elevators, and both the stairs and the elevators reached all the way to the upper stories. However, there were also a pair of spiral escalators leading up to the glass walkway on the fourth floor. In fact, each of the upper levels were served by two spiral escalators in addition to the stairs and the elevators, and the glass walkways served as conduits for all the converging foot traffic.

Next to one of the escalators, I saw Misaka-san squatting next to the white-haired teenage albino.

She had been waiting for us when we made it upstairs, and somehow, she had retrieved the three missing boys Awaki-San was talking about. She carried Hispanic boy, Etzali, over her shoulders in a fireman lift, while the albino-boy leaned against her as he limped along. Meanwhile Hamazura-san was holding on to Takitsubo-san. Xotichil, meanwhile, wasn't there with the boys. She was still in the theater fighting off the Aztec warriors and could not have been evacuated safely.

Takitsubo-san and Hamazura-san were taken together to the underground parking lot for treatment, and Etzali, who was barely conscious, was handed off to two Maltese paramedics for transport to a special hospital. The white-haired boy, however, was in no shape to go anywhere, and he stayed behind with us.

Now, he was sitting against the escalator railing, while Misaka-san squatted next to him. She was pinching a small battery between her thumb and forefingers, while her other hand was directing current through that collar-like device around the boy's neck.

"Never did I see the day when you needed my help," she was saying, laughing quietly. The boy rolled his eyes. "Fuck you!"

"Now, is this anyway to thank the girl trying to save your life?" She retorted. Her back was turned to me, so I didn't see the smirk she must have had on her face.

"How does this device of yours work anyway?" She asked, "How does it even communicate with my sisters? How does it all work?"

"Hell, if I know!" He said, "I'm not a doctor!"

Misaka-san ignored him. "Can I talk to my sisters through you? Moshi-moshi? 10032? Can you hear me? Hey, can't you relay a message for me?"

He growled. "Stop treating me like a fucking telephone! I'm not your internet router either!"

"Okay, okay, fine! If you're gonna be like that, then you charge it yourself. Now Upsie-dasie!" Saying this, Misaka-San placed the battery back into its housing on the Albino's choker and then pulled him to his feet. "Alright Mr. Superintendent, let's go find you a charger!"

I was about to walk over and help when suddenly, I heard someone walk up behind me. "Well if this isn't a happy gathering. Are all the City's monsters invited to this party?"

Misaka-san spun around. She saw who was standing behind me, and her eyes dilated with fear. Sparks leapt from her brow as she gawked at the newcomer.

"Mugino…san?"